I was utterly sad yet feeling bittersweet at the same time as I finished the last chapter. This fic is a sheer brilliance and I am immensely impressed by your ability to weave such a lovely tale that coincided so fittingly with the original gaiden's timeline and occurances!

Your analysis of Goujun's character as the proud Dragon King and Commander of the Western Army is striking and mature. But most of all, the relationship shared by Tenpou and Goujun was heartrending and I loved every bit of the fic.

Your other fics featuring Goujun are also astoundingly thought-provoking and I felt so heart brokened for Goujun when I read "Belong."

Thanks for all these wonderful ficcies, they definitely made my day!

Raven

I was utterly sad yet feeling bittersweet at the same time as I finished the last chapter. This fic is a sheer brilliance and I am immensely impressed by your ability to weave such a lovely tale that coincided so fittingly with the original gaiden's timeline and occurances!

Your analysis of Goujun's character as the proud Dragon King and Commander of the Western Army is striking and mature. But most of all, the relationship shared by Tenpou and Goujun was heartrending and I loved every bit of the fic.

Your other fics featuring Goujun are also astoundingly thought-provoking and I felt so heart brokened for Goujun when I read "Belong."

Thanks for all these wonderful ficcies, they definitely made my day!

Raven

This is a stunning piece; I'm so glad to have discovered it. I had already read some of your stories Possessive, which really interested me, and your TenpuxGoujun shower one (can't remember the title right now -_-;;) which I read on LiveJournal but had not (regretably) come to read this. 'Tis amazingly introspective, with great thought and ideas. I love the way you fit so perfectly into Goujun's point of view, and the way both dragons and kami view the world; the way you present Goujun's opinions and methods of dealing in a corrupt Heaven, surrounded by the so-different kami. And I won't even dare to continue praising because I know I won't get it all down. (And, of course, I just love Tenpou every time.) I never really used to think of Tenpou and Goujun as a pairing, or even of Gaiden in general, being a more Gensomaden/Reload focused gal. Yet your writings have changed my viewpoint, and brought Goujun to life for me, as I've never watched/read much Gaiden and never actually encountered him, sadly. This is just a general squee/worship. Please forgive a fangirl's ramblings on your fantastic work.

hi! me- again...this may not be so much of a review as perhaps a treatise so bear with me. i really enjoy this and i loved that it made me think of it so much and this will be the nearest i will ever get to writing a gaiden fic, as i simply wouldn't dare...i have only read bits and pieces of scanlations on the net and other knowledge came from the brief glimpses afforded by the anime when it touches on their previous incarnations...so a lot of it is my own personal conclusions. in the prologue i do agree with you that dragons don't really do regret. they might think about it, analyse and come to the conclusion that regret is not worth it. i wrote "wyvern's regret" and i kind of say the same thing there. perhaps only slightly differently. and i must look up ouroborous. the attachment idea is agood observation as yes, it always does feel that the kami just are and they do all seem distant, detached and orphaned. except for konzen who has a questionable older relation (aunt/uncle). whereas yes although not given any impression about dragons, i am inclined to think the same way that familial ties would be of great importance to dragonkind. and perhaps it is the entanglements of those attachment/non-attachment philosophies that will be their downfall in the end. "oh what a tangled web we weave, when we first learn to deceive". allusions to your scroll mentioned in "knowledge" as to being some kind of historical treaty or contract as to why the "uniqueness of political and spiritual autonomy" is allowed the dragons; yes it does make one wonder how they came to that...was it some kind feud or perhaps even war. the way in which tenpou is peceived by goujun as being apart from the "system" as it were but yet still be a part of it all, does set him a cut above the rest. And death will change them all. Leading to exile, banishment. Is it attachment here that pushes Goujun to follow his men, and find them in Hakkai and Gojyo? The connection that Goujun feels with Ten. and that the feeling he must have dragon soul. well here is where i make my biggest personal jump. (Although I know Hakkai is based on Zhu Ba Jie from Journey to the West in name if not in traits, and that he was originally Marshall WuNeng of the Heavenly Reeds) there is a story of another Marshal, called Wen (from 100 Chinese Gods by Wu LuXing) where before his ascension and acceptance by the jade emperor, he swallows a dragonpearl dropped by a careless dragon. legend has it that if you swallow a dragonpearl whilst it is still alive, you gain the attributes of said being but will still retain human form. Also here, if Ten. was another dragon however.. Goujun might not have enjoyed the freedom to choose to have an attachment to the Marshall. Thus tying his fate inexorably to Tenpou and later Kenren too. In "Trust" we hear the rumblings of what will come to pass, and also of the erstwhile general from the eastern army. From what little i can surmise, we are given the impression that goujun doesn't know much of what is going on, but in "Order" given his position, he must know more than we are given to understand, and it is his precarious stand as dragon but still part of it all that his hands/claws are tied. however he did probably put too much faith in thinking that Tenpou would not mutiny at the end. Due to their love for "Order" and "Respect" it is abhorrent to Goujun that such a kami as Kenren can exist. But consider Ken's dragonlike fierceness of loyalty (albeit not to heaven, but those he cares about, to friendship) his great sense of honour, righteousness and forthrightness; so inspite of it all Goujun cannot help but be intrigued by the kami. Thus Kenren poses a kind of paradox to the Dragon King, and because of all that he is, Goujun may be partly envious of Kenren too. Whereas Kenren is "free" to act in his attitude towards life, Goujun has to act within the boundaries of propriety. Thus final conclusion Kenren3:Goujun0 is correct. In the end Goujun begrudgingly respects Kenren... because he, even more so than Tenpou is SO right (because come on, Tenpou is a little on the sneaky AND manipulative side!) And we come to the MAN himself...Our favourite Marshall is definitely Possesive. Even though there is more interaction shown (in the anime anyway!) between Goujun and Kenren, than Tenpou and Goujun. The way in which "Only..." is interjected into the conversation, as to allusions to a kinky threesome hehehe(oh yeah you did this one already right? in "Possesive")...ahem...sorry...i mean acceptance on Goujun's part of Tenpou's and Kenren's relationship. So history does repeat itself. yes this definitely was a fun chapter to read. I can't wait to wrap my head round anything else you update this with. if i didn't know any better much as you wrote this for yourself, this one was tailor made for me...can't you tell i really love it. i love saiyuki with a vengeance, but there really isn't enough Gaiden out there is there? sigh! Thank you so much for sharing this. yosroshiku onegaishimasu-[bowing low]

Author's Response: Wow, what a thorough review! Thank you so much for taking the time to write out all your thoughts and reactions. ^_^ I'll try to get the next chapter written soon.